Thursday, July 22, 2010

Unicycle Rose's Basic Tenets

When my older son took Taekwondo a jillion years ago, he had to memorize and was taught to live according to the five tenets. Tenet is defined by Encarta as an established fundamental belief. In Taekwondo they are: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and an indomitable spirit. All good. I love the idea of core-defining beliefs. As I approach my very first Blogiversary on July 29, I decided to list Unicycle Rose’s five tenets. You know, those truths that I live by that have been the subject of past Blogs and are the same truths that I keep stuffed in my back mental pocket. My back mental pocket is the place I store life wisdom collected over the past forty-two years. Some tenets I learned early on, others came later after large doses of inevitable life pain. I still have plenty of room to shove more lessons in this worn pocket that has proven to “keep the balance” day after day.

1.Dreams are Free – Here lies the truth that you should never-ever hesitate to make big wishes and always dream big-fat-unlikely dreams. It is free, so don’t hold back here. It is uplifting and can pull you from a slump at any time, and again, it’s free! No tax! You can exercise this truth in public or private and it feels so darn good to let go and start collecting hope. Both hopes and dreams are free as Costco food samples, so stuff yourself with these simple, complimentary inspiring fillers that leave you always wanting more. Be a lottery winner, Olympian, cancer-free, win that dream job, become a published writer, class valedictorian, professional ballerina or happily married to a prince, or all of the above at the very same time … all it costs is your brilliant imagination and hope. Remember, you can’t win, if you don’t enter… give yourself permission to let yourself go with big-fat-free dreams!

2.It’s not open-heart surgery –This fundamental belief means “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” It is easy to think that at times life is not fair. Guess what? Fare is what you pay to get on the bus. When I want to moan or complain, I remember my baby son going through two open-heart surgeries and coming home on a ventilator with a nurse 16 hours a day and then, Presto! Shazam! Nothing compares to that pain and struggle. When I think I am having a horrible day, I hold whatever current burr is in my butt up to this measuring stick and then think “This ain’t nuthin’ honey.” So, shrug it off when the Frisbee breaks the widow, your blow a tire, break out in adult acne, your laundry basket overflows, or riding your unicycle in the house scuffs up the wall … most things don’t compare to pediatric open-heart surgery (or whatever sorrow has stung your heart deepest; fill in the blank), nor do the little pests deserve your valuable time or angry energy.This one saved the day when our house burned while on vacation, my husband needed two sinus surgeries and I backed into a brand new car in the CVS parking lot. You must keep your perspective! But, there is a caveat to this tenet … if you ever do find yourself starring at “This IS an open-heart surgery life situation,” never forget the truth that piggybacks this tenet; bad times don’t last forever. It just feels that way, but they don’t. Time heals all things (except crow’s feet).

If you want to read more on how to keep the mental balance, tune in for Unicycle Rose’s Tenet #3.

In Life, Balance is Everything!

Hop on!

Riding a unicycle is like life. To be successful and enjoy the ride, they both require tremendous balance and focus. I sit up tall, shoulders back and imagine I am holding one of my young boys under each arm. My best-friend-techie-husband’s hand on my seat (hubba, hubba) to guide me, and my two wiener dogs running alongside, looking like double Dumbos. As I train to ride Blanche, my unicycle, in a half-marathon, I think how good God is as the breeze blows my brown hair, a big smile on my face. Come along for a thrilling one-wheel ride while I do my best to maintain balance... but keep an open mind, there is always something new to learn!